Germany’s Lufthansa facing flight cancellations, staff shortages and strikes
More than 1,000 Lufthansa flights have been canceled and more than 130,000 passengers have been impacted by a nationwide strike by its 20,000 ground staff.
In a series of statements, the German national airline blamed trade union Verdi, saying the “unreasonable” planned strike of ground staff is “causing enormous damage,” adding that “this so-called warning strike in the middle of the peak summer travel season is simply no longer proportionate.”
The strike has caused Lufthansa to cancel nearly all flights at its Frankfurt and Munich and led to travel disruptions during the busy summer travel season.
On Tuesday, airports around the world tallied nearly 22,000 flight delays and 2,800 cancellations, according to FlightAware.
Why Lufthansa ground staff is on strike?
The Verdi trade union is demanding a 9.5% pay rise, or at least €350 more per month for 12 months, for around 20,000 workers to help employees deal with inflation, which is at its highest level in more than four decades in Germany.
Lufthansa had offered an increase of €150 per month for the rest of this year and another €100 from the start of 2023, plus a 2%increase from mid-2023 dependent on the company’s financial results. But Verdi rejected the offer.
Lufthansa could also face a pilots’ strike
Deutsche Lufthansa pilots’ union is also considering whether to strike after negotiations with the company stalled. “If (management) makes good offers, these will resonate with us pilots. But if these offers fail to materialize, we have little choice but to strike,” Marcel Groels of the Vereinigung Cockpit pilots’ union was quoted as saying.